Exam 21: Operant Conditioning

To quickly teach a dog to roll over on command, you would be best advised to use

A partial reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response that occurs after an unpredictable period of time is a ________ schedule.

On an intermittent reinforcement schedule, reinforcement is given

The "piecework," or commission, method or payment is an example of which reinforcement schedule?

B. F. Skinner's critics have claimed that he neglected the importance of the individual's

An animal trainer is teaching a miniature poodle to balance on a ball. Initially, he gives the poodle a treat for approaching the ball, then only for placing its front paws on the ball, and finally only for climbing on the ball. The trainer is using the method of

Resistance to extinction is most strongly encouraged by ________ reinforcement.

For purposes of effective child-rearing, most psychologists favor the use of

The use of physical punishment may

Some students study hard beginning with the first couple of weeks of a semester because they subsequently receive very good final course grades. This best illustrates that human behavior is influenced by

The study of respondent behavior is to ________ as the study of operant behavior is to ________.

An executive in a computer software firm works with his office door closed. At the same time every hour, he opens the door to see what his employees are doing. The employees have learned to work especially hard during the five minutes before and while the door is open. Their work pattern is typical of responses that are reinforced on a ________ schedule.

A response is learned most rapidly and is most resistant to extinction if it is acquired under conditions of

Both classical and operant conditioning are forms of

Mason, a stockbroker, runs two miles every day after work because it reduces his level of stress. Mason's running habit is maintained by a ________ reinforcer.

Leon's psychology instructor has scheduled an exam every third week of the term. Leon will probably study the most just before an exam and the least just after an exam. This is because the schedule of exams is reinforcing studying according to which schedule?

Any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response is called a(n)

Online testing systems and interactive software are applications of the operant conditioning principles of

You teach your dog to fetch the paper by giving him a cookie each time he does so. This is an example of

If a sea slug on repeated occasions receives an electric shock just after being squirted with water, its protective withdrawal response to a squirt of water grows stronger. This best illustrates